1. Technical Field
This disclosure concerns a dynamically updating graphical user interface for a management system for provisioning and managing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Services. In particular, this disclosure relates to an end user control configuration (EUC) system with a dynamic user interface that dynamically generates graphical user interface (GUI) renderings that assist users to complete tasks required to provision or activate, and manage network services, such as IP Multimedia services.
2. Background Information
The telecommunications industry continues to face demands for more services, and rapid deployment of new services, while the complexity of the underlying technologies providing the services continues to increase. Consumers continually push for new VoIP, IP Multimedia (e.g., instant messaging, on-demand recording and play-back, application sharing, audio conferencing, and videoconferencing), and other value added services. The time to market for new IP Multimedia services depends on the systems used to implement the services, and the complexity and maturity of the technology. Reducing the time to market for new network services requires flexible development, integration and provisioning methods. Service providers require systems that allow service providers to rapidly integrate new network services, and provide end users, both residential and commercial consumers, the ability to easily activate and manage the new network services. Deploying new network services requires service providers to address connectivity, data exchange and process integration issues related to the underlying operational support systems (OSS) employed.
Consumers assess network service providers based on the number of available services, the consumers' ease of activation and use of the services. Consumers also recognize the cycle-time between a consumers request for a service and service activation as a dominant market differentiator. Correspondingly, service providers recognize consumers' ability to self-service provision network services as a critical market differentiator.
Unfortunately, the complexity of new operational support systems (OSS) deployed in support of new network services creates technical challenges for service provides desiring to hide the complexity from consumers. The evolution of OSS continues to introduce new complex technologies, in addition to life-cycle maintenance issues. The many technical challenges facing service providers include identifying operational cost reductions, reducing the time to market and time to delivery of services, while improving the consumer's experience related to activating and using services, and minimizing operational impacts resulting from the integration of new OSS with existing systems.
Service providers recognize that many of the technical challenges to providing consumers with the ability to self-provision network services require robust and dynamic user interfaces and workflow solutions. The already immense number of workflow steps required to activate and manage network services increase exponentially with the integration of each new network element, and may require users to complete some number of tasks prior to service activation. Service providers positioned to effectively respond to consumer demands for self-provisioning services require a technical solution that presents users with dynamic workflows, and facilitates integration of the unending number of network elements.
A need has long existed for a management system that hides the complexity of VoIP network services from consumers, and allows consumers to easily request, provision and manage VoIP Services. The end user control configuration (EUC) system with dynamic user interface solves the technical problem of reducing the cycle-time to self-provision network services, and assisting users to complete the tasks required to activate, and manage VoIP services.